Native Bees — Batavia Coast and Midwest WAAustrothurgus Euhesma Exoneura Hylaeus (Macrohylaeus) alcyoneus Hylaeus mysterium puella Hylaeus sanguinipictus Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum Leioproctus Megachile aurifrons Megachile semiluctuosa Megachile (Thaumatosoma) duboulaii Meroglossa rubricata Thyreus waroonensis Trichocolletes
A striking and very different looking native bee is the Waroona Cuckoo Bee (Thyreus waroonensis). This bee could have come straight off the catwalks of Paris and Milan, when fashion was all about black and white.
Sighted across mainland Australia (except for Tasmania), the Waroona Cuckoo Bee is also known as the Waroon Cloak-and-dagger Bee. They are sometimes incorrectly called the Domino Cuckoo Bee, which actually refers to a different species Thyreus lugubris.
Thyreus are cuckoo bees, and as the name implies, they lay their eggs in the nests of certain species of bees. In the case of the Waroona Cuckoo Bee, they lay their eggs in the nests of the blue-banded bees and the teddy-bear bees. The cuckoo bee’s egg hatches first and eats the provisions laid down by the nest builder.
Another common sight on the Morning Glory vine that has taken over at my place (hey, it’s green, it flowers profusely, the bees love it…) Thyreus waroonensis, or (rather unimaginatively) the Waroona Cuckoo bee.
For those that weren’t aware, like her “common” name suggests she doesn’t make her own nest, she cheats and lays her eggs in Amegilla nests instead. Not ideal for the baby Amegilla, but from what I’ve seen over many years of watching them, they barely make a dent in the Amegilla population and even then that dent is only filled with another just as (I think more so 😀) beautiful bee… 🙂
Author Gary Taylor, Geraldton, Midwest WA
Another gorgeous little native that loves the Eucalyptus platypus, Thyreus waroonensis, the Waroona Cuckoo bee. They’re not collecting pollen, they’ve just popped in for a bit of a feed, a slurp of nectar (check out the length of the tongue in the second pic), ‘cos as the name “cuckoo” suggests, she doesn’t make her own nest, she lays her eggs in other bees nests, favouring Amegilla (Blue banded bees and Teddy bear bees) as hosts. Which is a bit sad for the little Teddy bears, but I still reckon they’re gorgeous, and she looks just as soft and cuddly as any Teddy bear to me 🙂
Author Gary Taylor, Geraldton, Midwest WA
Check out our blogs:
- Beauty is in the eye of the bee holder
- sleeping Waroona cuckoo bee… under the Woolly Bush
- The bee most likely to fall out of bed…
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Hymenoptera
- Family: Apidae
- Tribe: Melectini
- Genus: Thyreus
- Species: Thyreus waroonensis
Footnote & References
- Thyreus waroonensis, Waroona Cuckoo Bee, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
- Thyreus waroonensis, Friends of Queens Park Bushland, https://www.friendsofqueensparkbushland.org.au/bee-3/
Native Bees — Batavia Coast and Midwest WAAustrothurgus Euhesma Exoneura Hylaeus (Macrohylaeus) alcyoneus Hylaeus mysterium puella Hylaeus sanguinipictus Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum Leioproctus Megachile aurifrons Megachile semiluctuosa Megachile (Thaumatosoma) duboulaii Meroglossa rubricata Thyreus waroonensis Trichocolletes
Insects — Batavia Coast and Midwest WANative Bees Wasps
The Batavia Coast and Midwest WAFauna
Western AustraliaWestern Australia Fauna Western Australia Flora The Batavia Coast and Midwest WA Bungle Bungles – Purnululu National Park Great Southern WA South West WA Stirling Range National Park